Replay
by emerald-nellie
Summary: basically what happens if neville was the chosen one not harry. give it a go, you'll probably like it. please leave a review.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Harry slowly opened his eyes and looked around him. He was in a white room and there were lots of bright lights. A man in lime green was holding him.

"It's a boy," the man said.

Lily Potter summoned all the strength she could muster and held out her arms for her newborn baby son. The healer handed him to her, wrapped tightly in a pale blue blanket, and she hugged him close against her chest.

"Hello, Harry," she cooed, her voice hoarse, "Do you know who I am? I'm your mummy."

He had her eyes. Almond shaped and emerald green. She gently pulled back the blanket that was covering his head. He had James' hair. She patted down the soft black fluff, trying to flatten it, but it still stuck up at the back. She laughed softly and rocked the baby in her arms.

"Can you please send my husband in?" she asked the healer.

"Of course, Mrs. Potter."

"Why is it taking so long?" James Potter yelled, turning around and walking back up the foyer again.

"Just sit down, Prongs, everything will be fine," Remus Lupin said reassuringly.

"Unless he stops pacing," Sirius Black muttered exasperatedly, "Then it won't be Lily he'll have to worry about. Prongs! Sit down, already! You're making me seasick just watching you."

James turned around and glared at Sirius. "No, I won't sit down. What if--"

"James Potter?" a healer called from the door. James' head snapped to attention. "Congratulations, you're a father. You have a beautiful baby boy."

"Harry it is then," Sirius said with a smirk and held out his hand as Remus counted out five galleons.

James didn't even complain about the bet on his baby's gender. He was too busy staring blankly at the healer.

"Your wife would like to see you, Mr. Potter."

James didn't need telling twice. Pushing the man out of the way, he bolted into the maternity ward. He stopped in front of a door on the left and pushed it open, running inside.

"Lily, I--" but he stopped, for the woman lying in the bed had to be at least twenty years older than his wife. His face flushed as he realized his mistake and he apologized before making a hasty exit.

He gingerly walked up to the next door and checked the name before pushing it open. Inside he saw his wife lying, exhausted, on the bed. He stood in the doorway, staring as if in a daze. He tried to clear his through, but all that came from it was a mumbled, spluttering sound.

But it captured Lily's attention and she looked up at him, smiling feebly.

"Do you want to hold your son, James?" she asked.

He nodded, slowly walked over to her and took the baby out of her outstretched arms. He looked at it for a moment, not really sure what to do. He had played this moment over in his mind hundreds of times; planned all the clever, witty things he could say.

But all that he managed was a weak, "Hi Harry."

"He has your hair," Lily said, smiling.

Holding his son in one arm, he bent down and pressed his lips firmly against his wife's. He tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear and rose again.

Looking back at his son, a large grin spread across his face, "We made one good looking kid."

"Well I did think he looked more like me," Lily teased.

"For someone who looks like she's ready to fait, you sure haven't lost that fiery wit," James said and poked out his tongue.

She crossed her arms and a frown knitted its way across her forehead. "If you are going to be a good father, you need to start growing up, James Potter."

He just rolled his eyes in reply. "Lighten up, love."

Lily was about to retort when her voice was suddenly and completely drowned out by an obnoxiously loud bellow.

The one doing the bellowing, of course, was James.

"Sirius, Remus, Peter!" he yelled, "Come and meet your newest Marauder!"

"Where's James?" Peter Pettigrew asked, returning from the café with coffees.

"Meeting his new son."

"Oh, so you won the bet then Sirius?"

Remus nodded his head and sighed.

"You do realize, Padfoot, that you just robbed a poor man of yet another pile of gold that could have been much better spent--"

But what that gold could have been much better spent on, Sirius never found out, for Remus was suddenly interrupted by a loud a yell that seemed to shake the entire building.

"I think I hear James," Sirius grinned sideways at his friends.

"Yeah, but next time I think he may have to call a little louder. Hogwarts probably just missed that one," Remus said, grinning back.

Coffee abandoned, the three men young ran in the direction of the call, all beaming so widely their lips threatened to tear.

A young healer-in-training called Poppy Pomfrey was sitting at her desk in the maternity ward, filling out papers. She finished one pile and, with a flick of her wand, they were replaced by another. In the last month she had been on the ward, she had had to deal with a few over excited patients. She was beginning to grow quite good at handling them, she thought.

A loud yelled issued from one of the rooms further down from her station. Sighing, she flicked her wand again, filing the papers away. She jumped up and walked into the corridor only to be bowled over by three young men.

"Oh, sorry, doll," said one, a smirk plastered to his face, and extended his hand to her. He had shaggy long hair and looked only a few years younger than herself.

"Excuse me," she said in what she thought was a stern voice and ignored his hand. Once back on her feet, she brushed herself down.

"We're terribly sorry about that, we didn't see you there," said another.

"Well we'd love to stay and chat, really, but our best friend's just given birth and we need to go and see him," said the last.

"Guys don't have babies, Wormtail, do I need to explain the process to you again?" the first asked.

As she watched them continue, slowly this time, down the hall, sense flooded back into her.

"Wait a minute, you three," she called, "You're not allowed in here. Family _only_. Didn't you read the sign?"

They ignored her and continued walking. Only the dumb, shorter one looked around at her.

Sighing with exasperation, she ran after them and threw herself in front of the door they wished to enter. She crossed her arms for added affect, hoping she looked a lot more confident than she felt.

"I said you are not allowed in here. It's for family only. Do I need to get security?"

The first one put his arm around Poppy's shoulders and powerfully moved her out of the way.

"I'm the god_father_. That family enough?" he demanded, but didn't wait for the answer before walking through the door.

"Ok, I'll buy that. But you two aren't going anywhere unless its back where you came from!"

Remus and Peter groaned.

When Sirius walked through the door, James was jumping around the room, swinging a bundle of sheets in the air, and Lily was pleading desperately with him to be careful. Sirius cleared his throat to make his presence known.

"Sirius!" James called and bounded over to him. "Look at your godson! Isn't he attractive? Do you want to hold him? Do you think he looks more like me or Lily?"

"Prongs, calm down!" Sirius said and chuckled. He wiggled his hand in front of the baby's mouth, "Does it bite?"

"It's not an 'it'!" James yelled outraged and continued the swinging game he had been playing with his son.

"Where are Remus and Peter?" he asked from the other side of the room.

"Training healer wouldn't let them in. Family only, apparently."

"So how did you get in?" Lily asked from the bed.

Sirius walked over to her, smiling, and kissed her on the cheek, "Because I'm the kids god_father_. How are you going, anyway?"

"Not too bad; they have a potion for the pain which I take every hour. I'm just feeling very tired," she smiled back weakly.

James began singing. Loudly.

"Prongs, shut up and get over here; I want to see the kid!"

He obliged and was immediately at the bedside. He thrust the bundle into Sirius' arms, positively beaming.

"Sirius, this is Harry James Potter," Lily said.

"I still think you should have named him after me," Sirius joked and held the baby up to inspect it. It was an incredibly cute little thing. "I think it looks more like James. I mean, it has Lily's eyes, but everything else belongs to James."

"Told you so," James said to a pouting Lily, "and would you please stop referring to him as 'it'?"

"Oh right," Sirius looked embarrassed, "Sorry Harry."

After a few minutes, a healer came back into the room.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen, but you will have to leave now. Mrs. Potter and the baby are going to have to stay here overnight. Just for observations. Regular precautions, you know," he added at the look of absolute horror on James' face.

Sirius handed Harry back to his mother, and said a quick goodbye to the two. Then he left the room to give James a few minutes alone with his wife.

"It is recommended that you leave, sir. She will be fine with us. I'll give you two a moment," the healer said and followed Sirius out of the room.

"James, you heard him: I'll be fine. Go out and enjoy yourself," Lily said, holding onto his hand.

"Alright, alright, I'm going," James muttered, "I'll come back tomorrow morning to take you home."

He bent down and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

"I love you," she murmured against his cheek.

"I love you, too. I also love you, little James."

"Harry," Lily corrected. "Not it, not little James, _Harry_."

"Ok, ok," James replied unabashed, "I'll see you both tomorrow."

Remus and Peter waited outside the room. The former shoved his hands in his pockets, leaned against the wall, and waited patiently. The latter, however, was fidgeting anxiously. At the current moment, he had taken to interrogating the training healer.

"So, Poppy, when are we allowed go in?"

"You're _not_. A healer has just gone in to bring everyone _out_, and it's Miss. Pomfrey to you, not Poppy," she snapped back.

"But it says Poppy on your nametag," Peter stated, perplexed.

"That's for the other healers, not for you."

"Oh," he said, and went back to fiddling with his fingers. A few minutes past before he looked back at her.

"So, _Miss. Pomfrey_, I'm Peter--" he began, but was cut off.

"And _I'm_ not interested," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. Peter seemed confused for a moment, but Remus got the drift.

He began to chuckle, "Don't take this the wrong way, but neither is he. He's engaged."

Poppy's face flushed and she was relieved when the door opened behind her. She turned around, opened her mouth to speak, found herself face to face with Sirius, and closed her mouth again.

"But I, on the other hand, remain an eligible bachelor," he said, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

"And I," Poppy snapped, "Remain uninterested."

"Feisty, this one," Sirius said to Remus, jerking his finger at the young woman.

She was about to retort when the healer left the room.

"Mr. Potter should be out in just a minute, Poppy. Then could you please show these gentlemen out?" he asked.

"Of course, sir."

He nodded and walked briskly down the corridor. Sirius waited until he had turned the corner before speaking up again.

"So, Poppy, what are you doing Friday night?" he asked, a smirk on his face.

"Certainly nothing that involves you," she muttered.

A few minutes of silence passed before Sirius started talking to Remus in hushed tones. Poppy picked up a few words like 'order' and 'drinks'. No way were they going to order her to do anything. The sooner the husband got back, the sooner they could leave. She turned to the door and put her hand on the knob, about to push it open, when it swung in itself.

James stood staring at her a moment with a quizzical expression on his face, before she moved aside to let him past. He shut the door behind him and walked over to his friends.

"Hey Remus, Peter. Sirius told me about the healer not letting you in. She sounds to me like a right b--"

"Behind you," Remus finished off, looking over James' shoulder.

"Oh," he blushed and ran his hand through his hair.

"Right this way please, gentlemen. I have been directed to escort you out of the hospital," she said and pushed past them, head held high in the air.

Sirius raised his eyebrow at James who returned the gesture.

"Padfoot asked her out, you know," Peter chimed in.

Soon the four were standing outside the dirty redbrick exterior of Purge & Dowse Ltd. The sun was slowly disappearing behind the tall buildings of London, and dusk was setting in.

"Morning Lupin," said a large man with a mustache as he approached.

"Good evening," Remus replied politely, "What brings you to St. Mungo's?"

"My youngest fell off her broom at the Quiddich Center last week and broke her arm. The Mediwizard on duty was new and accidentally had her growing teeth out of her nose. It's such a nuisance! A quick spell fixed it, but there's a heap of paper work I need to fill out at the hospital about the accident," the man scratched his head and sighed in exasperation. "I'm sorry, I'd love to stay and chat, by I'm running late as it is. I'll see you on Monday."

The man nodded to the other three before walking through the broken window of the department store: the entrance into the hospital.

"Who was that?" Sirius asked, as they started to walk down the street.

"Just a man who works for the _Prophet_. Always fixing up a mess caused by one of his kids. He has eight of them."

"Eight?" James asked in astonishment. "Merlin's beard."

They turned left into a secluded alleyway so they could apparate safely.

"Three Broomsticks for drinks?" Sirius asked, raising his eyebrow at James.

"Well, Padfoot, I think recent events call for celebration. What do you think Moony?"

"Oh, definitely, Prongs. Wormtail?"

Peter just started giggling and, with a pop, disapparated. The other three exchanged quizzical looks.

Remus was about to open his mouth to say something when a small piece of parchment fell out of the air, right in front of him. He caught it, read it and shook his head with an amused smile.

"Clever," he said and handed it to James before turning with a pop and disapparating, just like Peter.

James read it through with curiosity and cottoned on.

"What's so funny?" Sirius asked, furrowing his brow.

James smiled mischievously, his eyes twinkling, threw the piece of parchment above his head and disapparated.

Sirius reached out and grabbed it before it fell to the ground.

_Last one there's a rotten egg! Oh… and buys drinks. _

"Crap," he muttered, and with a sigh scrunched up the parchment, turned on his heel, and disappeared with a faint pop.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: 

Sirius walked into the Three Broomsticks to find three very smug looking young men sitting at a table to his left. He ambled over to them and fell into the seat next to James.

Looking across at Peter, he said, "How the hell did _you_ come up with _that_?"

Peter fidgeted uncomfortably under the glare and then pointed at Remus.

Sirius' eyes moved across and settled on his friend.

"This is to get me back for winning the bet, isn't it?"

"Of course," Remus grinned, "I'll take a Butterbeer, thanks."

Sirius broke into a grin. One of the young barmaids came over to their table.

"How can I help you tonight, boys?"

"Four Butterbeers and might I say that you are looking particularly dazzling tonight, Madam Rosmerta."

"Oh, you boys," she said, "You always know how to make me laugh. But don't think that by complimenting me you won't still have to pay!"

"Rosie, are you accusing us of flattery?"

"Never in my life, Mr. Potter. What's got you in such a cheeky mood?"

"You mean more than usual?" asked Sirius.

"I just had a baby!" Cried James.

"A baby? You? And here I was thinking it was dear Lily who had the bun in the oven," she joked. "Congratulations, James. I never thought I'd live to see the day when Lily Evans and James Potter had their first child."

"I told you all I'd win her over eventually."

"So what's its name? Does it look like you? Does it have your hair?"

"He does have my hair, as a matter of fact. His name is Harry and he looks more like me than Lily. I'll bring him in for you one day."

"James, you can't bring a baby into a bar! What would your wife say?"

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"Yes, I probably am. I'll be over with your drinks in a tick, dears."

As she walked back to the bar, Sirius turned to Peter.

"Still too shy to say anything to her?" he said.

"Well at least he doesn't drool anymore," James muttered.

"I never _drooled_!"

"You did."

"Didn't."

"Did."

"Didn't."

"Di–"

"Guys! How old are you? Shut up!"

"Sorry, Remus," said Peter, "Ok, I admit that I may have had a slight crush at one stage, but that was a long, long time ago. Now I think only of Mary."

"But you still used to drool," James added quietly as Madam Rosmerta came holding a tray of five glasses. She put one in front of each of the boys, and slid onto the bench next to Sirius with her own.

"On break," she said, "I have to be back in ten."

"And what perfect timing," Sirius said, and draped his arm around her, "Peter was just telling us about how–"

Remus and James both kicked him under the table. He yelped.

"–about how he's, uhh, getting married!"

Peter exhaled a breath of relief. He was beaming.

"Well congratulations!" Rosmerta said, "You were dating that MacDonald girl, weren't you?"

"Yes. Mary. The wedding is in September. You're welcome to come if you like."

"How sweet of you, I'll see what I can do."

"Well I don't have a date yet," Sirius said.

"You? Sirius Black? Dateless? Well I never. But I'm a bit too old for you."

"Only a couple of years. Which is completely made up for by your stunning beauty."

Rosmerta rolled her eyes. "Peter, who have you got serving drinks?"

Peter was taken aback. "No one," he said.

"No one? Won't there be anything to drink at this wedding?"

"No, we decided no alcohol."

"Well then. Sorry Sirius, but it looks like I've got myself a job."

"No, Rosmerta, it's fine," Peter said, and mumbled something about being short of money.

"Nonsense. Consider my services a wedding present. These three," she motioned around the table, "would be more than happy to chip in and give me a hand."

"That we would," agreed James, and raised his drink in a toast. Everyone else held their glasses up too.

"To Harry," he said.

"To Mary," said Peter.

"To James and Peter," said Remus.

"To Rosmerta," said Sirius.

"To my bar, and my drinks, and you damn boys for always knowing how to make me laugh."

Later that night, when it was starting to get dark, the four decided to call it a night. James wanted to go and see how Lily and Harry were doing, and Peter was supposed to be cooking dinner.

Sirius pulled out a handful of coins from his pocket and put them on the table.

"That's my share," he said.

"Not so fast," Remus replied, "It was your shout, remember?"

Sirius moaned, "Remind me why I agreed to this."

"You didn't," Peter said.

With an exaggerated sigh, he pulled himself off the bench. "But don't go thinking this will happen every day."

"Ok, it'll just have to be every _other_ day," James said, as he grabbed his coat and headed for the door. "Remus, you're headed back to Godric's Hollow, aren't you? I need to pick up some stuff for Lily."

"Yeah, wait up! I'll come with you, but I'm only going as far as the supermarket."

"Goodnight Sirius! Thanks for the drinks," Peter said and followed the others out the door.

Sirius grabbed his jacket off the bench and sauntered over to the bar. He dumped a pile of coins on the wooden tabletop and started to count them.

"Four by four… by four sickles… sixty four… three galleons and… thirteen sickles."

"Leaving already?" Madam Rosmerta asked as she came over to collect the money.

"Afraid so," Sirius said, and handed over the correct coins.

She looked at the large pile with disdain.

"How about we say three galleons, and you can keep all these sickles? I don't need any more of those filling up my register."

Sirius chuckled, "So the flattery worked, did it?"

"Don't you go pressing your luck," she scorned, "and tell Peter to drop by in a couple of weeks with the details for the wedding and I'll get him all sorted."

"Cheers, Rosie. Have a nice evening."

She smiled and then walked away, hips swinging, leaving Sirius filled with longing, and alone at the bar.

James reached St. Mungo's and was greeted by a night-healer.

"I'm afraid visiting hours are over, sir," he said.

"But I'm here to see my wife. She just gave birth this afternoon," he said, "and look! I brought her a blanket, and a coat, some clothes for Harry, a bit of proper food – I hear the stuff they feed you here is just absolutely _horrid_ – and I even brought her a few–"

"It's very thoughtful of you, sir, and I understand that you may be a bit concerned, but I assure you that your wife is being looked after by our most highly trained staff. Visiting hours start at ten o'clock in the morning; I suggest you come back then."

A frown spread across James' face.

"Well what time do visiting hours _finish_?" he asked.

"At 1900 hours, sir."

"Seven?" James checked his watch, "But that was less than five minutes ago!"

"Rules are rules. Nothing I can do about it."

James was positively fuming.

"Ok, fine. I'm going. But I'll be back!" he said and stormed out of the hospital.

"Honey, I'm home," Peter called and shut the door behind him.

"Hello darling," said Mary and kissed him affectionately on the cheek. "You've been out drinking, haven't you?"

Peter laughed at the frown creeping across her face.

"Well we had a good excuse. Lily gave birth today."

"Oh, wonderful! Is it a boy or a girl? I must go and see her tomorrow and congratulate her!"

"It's a boy. His name is Harry and, from what I hear, he's a splitting image of James," Peter explained.

"Oh this is wonderful news. I wish I'd have known; I could have put on a roast."

"Nonsense! It's my turn to cook tonight."

Peter walked into the kitchen and pulled open the pantry. He took out a packet of pasta and got to work straight away.

Mary looked on in approval, a broad smile covering her round face. She pulled her curly black hair up into a messy bun and rolled up her sleeves.

"I'll help you with that," she said.

"Oh, no you won't. It's _my_ turn!"

When she wouldn't take no for an answer, Peter picked up her slight frame and carried her into the lounge room. He put her down on the couch and placed a book in her hand.

"Read," he commanded. She laughed and slapped him playfully on the arm.

"You'd better now do anything wrong. I'm hungry tonight!"

"Ok, just calm down. I'm not _that _bad!" he said and pecked her on the lips before going back to the kitchen to finish the cooking.

Remus walked out of the supermarket carrying two bulging bags that held next week's food. The walk from the store to his town house was a fairly short one. Two streets down, one across. He walked at a slow pace, enjoying the quiet serenity of the evening. Summer would be over soon and he was determined to enjoy every last minute of warmth the sun offered.

Though he lived only a few minutes away from Lily and James, they lived in a much nicer area than him. He had been surprised to find a place so cheap in Godric's Hollow and it was all that he could afford. He lived on the ground floor of his building, directly under Mrs. Henderson, his landlord. She was a cranky old muggle woman who didn't care for reasons as to why his rent was late, and threatened to kick him out at least once a month.

He took a left and turned down a small, narrow street. He walked for another few minutes before reaching his house. He transferred the bags to one hand and fished around in his pocket with the other, searching for his keys. He lost balance and one of the bags fell to the ground, a bottle of milk smashing and spilling its contents all over the sidewalk.

Remus swore loudly and scooped up the rest of the bag.

Above him, a window opened and a white-haired lady stuck her head out.

"Who are you?" she screeched.

"Hello Mrs. Henderson. It's Remus."

The lady squinted. "So it is! Why are you making such a racket? You woke me up from my nap. I've warned you time and time again. Keep down that racket. Always making noise, always keeping me from sleep. Always taking, never giving."

She retreated back into her room, muttering about him the whole time. Even once the window was firmly secure, he could still hear her.

He grabbed his keys and unlocked the door. He shut it behind him and switched on the light.

The room was small, a kitchenette and a bathroom leading off to the side. A double bed lay against one wall, the sheets pooled at the bottom, and an old muggle television set was against the opposite one.

Remus pulled open the fridge and put away everything he'd bought at the supermarket. He would need to get some more milk tomorrow. Making himself a cup of black coffee, he sat down on the edge of his bed and read the paper.

The fluorescent streetlamps had turned on and were illuminating the room with an eerie glow. He really needed to buy some new curtains. They constantly buzzed and hummed, usually keeping Remus awake until unearthly hours of the morning.

He finished his coffee and gave up trying to read. He switched on the TV and put the volume up to try and drown out the sound of the streetlamps.

Sirius Black knew he couldn't stay at the Three Broomsticks forever. After a couple more drinks alone, he left the tavern and apparated back to London. He wandered up and down the busy streets for hours, just watching the other people enjoying their night. He knew he should be happy. His best friend had just had a baby and he was the godfather! Another one of his best friends was getting married shortly.

He constantly wondered whether it was time for him to settle down. He couldn't imagine himself as a husband, as a father, but he didn't want to imagine himself alone forever.

Was he afraid of commitment? Had he just never met the right woman? He couldn't answer the questions. Things were just easier this way. If you don't have expectations in life, you can never be disappointed. That was the rule he lived by.

"Why, hello there," called a girl as she stumbled past.

"Good evening," Sirius said with a smirk.

"Why are you out all alone?"

"Could ask you the same thing."

"You look like you need some company."

"Tell me about it."

The girl had moved closer to Sirius and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Can we go back to yours?" she whispered in his ear.

It was then that Sirius smelt the alcohol on her breath and got a better look at her. She was gorgeous, but couldn't have been more than sixteen or seventeen.

He took her arms from around his neck. "I don't think so, love. Who are you out with tonight? Your boyfriend? Family?"

"My boyfriend?" she giggled. "I don't have a boyfriend."

"Ok, how about we find your friends for you?" Sirius asked, but she just continued giggling.

"Elissa?" a worried voice called from down the street.

"What's your name?" Sirius asked the girl.

"El-Elissa," she slurred.

"Good," he muttered, and began walking towards the woman.

"Elissa! What are you doing down here?" she yelled, "Who is this?"

"Hello mum. I don't know his name but he was going to take me back to his place," she laughed.

The woman turned to face Sirius, disgust written all over her features.

"You pervert. Can't you see that she is intoxicated? How dare you try and take advantage of her?" she yelled.

"_Me_? Take advantage of _her_?" he asked in bewilderment.

"You should be ashamed of yourself," she said, "Come on Elissa, we're going home."

Sirius was bewildered. He stared as the mother and daughter walked away. Elissa turned around once and waved.

He stood still for a moment before he continued walking up the street. He tried to disregard what had just happened. But truth be told, it had really scared him. If the mother hadn't have come out, _would _he have taken her home?

The thought shook him as he walked home to his apartment. It was late by the time he got there, and he collapsed onto his bed, the embodiment of exhaustion, and resolved to take his life, girls especially, more seriously.


End file.
